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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It feels strange in some ways I feel like I’m rating text too high and in some too low, at its core as a selection of stories I can see both the relation and juxtaposition of the various themes but to some extent I’ve chosen to view them individually for the purpose of this review. Plainly, I can’t stomach some of them. I agree that Nina descriptions of sensuality, gender expression, and the erotic were revolutionary for her time and her influence on the romance genre is palpable. Yet, much of what she wrote disturbed me in ways I wasn’t prepared for and I can’t wrap my head around it.
The preface opens with a rather mean spirited notion that helps set the tone of the novel, Nin conveying to her donor essentially that he doesn’t understand eroticism and that its poetry that conveys the erotique. So what we are left with is an apparently barren onslaught of short stories written for a wealthy donor that Nin largely doesn’t respect. Having not read Nins other work I can only hope that this foray into the taboo is in large part to elicit some disdain from her donor as its subject matter in large part is less smut than snuff.
The preface opens with a rather mean spirited notion that helps set the tone of the novel, Nin conveying to her donor essentially that he doesn’t understand eroticism and that its poetry that conveys the erotique. So what we are left with is an apparently barren onslaught of short stories written for a wealthy donor that Nin largely doesn’t respect. Having not read Nins other work I can only hope that this foray into the taboo is in large part to elicit some disdain from her donor as its subject matter in large part is less smut than snuff.
The Hungarian Adventurer (0/5)
I’m choosing to interpret this as an incessant chase of desire, and of material pleasures leading to ruin. This chapter is horrifying, and a really stark beginning to this novel. I can in no way view this as “erotica” it is horror in its most grotesque and gory edifice. I feel like I’m reading Nabokov, if you catch my drift.
Mathilde (0/5)
I’m not even sure what this is supposed to be for? A cautionary tale of whom you spend your time with? I think I’m now fully aware that what is meant by erotica is horror, and it makes me less understanding of the preface written by Anais Nin, in that description is more erotic than mechanical action but yet the descriptions in this novel are horrifying. So far less erotics and more racist, dangerous, and violent.
The Boarding School (0/5)
Oh my.. god?
She’s certainly in competition with herself to be more taboo.
The Ring (2.5/5)
At least I can see how this one is erotica, I can understand that there is fantasy there “to be possessed” and the agency the woman finds in his jealousy. If the entire book was like this I could see the reverence for her as a master of description.
Mallorca (4/5)
Nin’s obsession with “high” breasts is becoming comical, actually. I digress, I did actually find this one quite erotic. The description, the sea, the desire between expectation, surprise, and reality. The agency of choice when Maria gives in to the event. I can actually understand the vision here.
Artists and Models (4/5)
*sigh* I mean… I suppose Nin herself is cuban but I can’t help but feel uncomfortable in her descriptions, relying on the exotification to make erotic; in the ways that a man appears in contrast to European that is how he is being made to found attractive but the experience of reading it feels exploitative. This novel had a tendency to really lean into the worst stereotypes of its era and yet I’m practically being hit over the head by academics trying to tell me it’s novel and progressive.
“Her desire died in her from sheer exhaustion” lmao that’s kind of how I feel trying to read this book.
There are things I liked about this story, I enjoyed the frame narrative the levels of telling from the artist and model in the room but then the actual subjects. The descriptions concerning the woman with the belt and her night with the man were incredible.
Mafouka’s story attempts to extol (with a certain distance) the desire of bisexuality. In a modern social lens that regards sexuality and gender in intentional choice this story approaches it with the practical interpretation of its time. Unlike Nins other stories I was not actually put off by the subject of desire in this tale, and its approach toward the subject matter (mostly) included consent and agency so I can understand the intention. This interpretation is sort of contingent on Mafouka’s agency and sets the tone for the final substory of this section- the frame of the narrative (sculptor and subject.)
The frame is about desire, suspense, and secrecy and how these facets come together to create an erotic narrative. Most interestingly I found this to be the most erotic story so far (and this likely to my taste- the most vanilla.)
Lilith (5/5)
This is actually what I was expecting when I began this novel. Lesbian desire held simply and the complete unfathomable anxiety of loving the man in your bed.
Marianne (5/5)
The trend of the male and female gaze, competing for one another and realization of each other’s desire. Their attraction ultimately capsized by the intrusion of society. I found this peace deeply sad and wonderfully erotic.
The veiled Woman (2.5/5)
Less enrapturing than Marianne but with the same general interest, voyeurism and interest in a single night of pleasure, unable to be continued. The pleasure dissipates and finally dies when realized and repeated amongst others.
Elena (5/5)
Casutz
This is very traditional erotica, similar to classic romance novels. The man’s reach out for consent was rather actually novel for its time, this is the vaguely feminist slant that I was desiring and searching for in this novel.
Paris
The next passages we embark on Elena falling madly but unwholy in love with Pierre and then how those jealousies eat her alive and awaken a passion of bisexuality in her. I love how much of a pick me Elena becomes “Leila was surely suffering from the mediocrity of the women she made love to “ and then goes on about how she despises the femininity of Leila’s lovers
Then when Elena finally cheats on Pierre she becomes obsessed with the idea of Pierre cheating, and thus leads to her forays into desire with others. Still in the end the push and pull of the game of desire with Pierre is most potent, and Pierre always lingers in the back of her mind.
I really liked this story, it felt the most fully realized and really gave the space and time to develop different characters and their relationships with each other. The desire of withholding in various means.
The Basque and the Bijou (3/5)
This is one of the longest stories in DdV and the plot is not as united or coherent as Elena although it does contain very similar elements such as painting, voyerism, and consent. I was enthralled in much of the imagery but there were threatening aspects, flaws in the text I couldn’t pass. There is an underlying exoticism that Nin is willing to engage with that may be “of her time” but doesn’t then allow me to engage in the text fully.
Pierre: 0/5
Jesus Christ here we go again. Pierre is disturbed, although I do appreciate how little concern for relationships Nin has, in a romantic sense.
That aside, Pierre is a reproachful character, despicable in a sense I can barely describe despite all the time Nin spent lifting him up in ‘Elena.’
Manuel 2/5
Genuinely I felt nothing about this and it felt over before it even began. Given the impact and taboo topics of the previous chapters this one really washed over me.
Linda 2/5
Some of the descriptions in this chapter are captivating but the story itself feels unfinished. Linda never quite earns agency of her desire she only waffles in relative discomfort hoping to be satisfied.
Marcel 3.5/5
I felt like this story really encapsulated the best parts of this collection, even if it was a little banal. The ending passages were a perfect lead up to a conclusion but it felt like some of the space in the middle was taken up.
Am I glad I read this ? Not sure, maybe if I had known some of what to expect I could have been prepared for the horrors that lied ahead.
Am I glad I read this ? Not sure, maybe if I had known some of what to expect I could have been prepared for the horrors that lied ahead.
challenging
dark
reflective
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Vulgar, insightful, nauseating, brutal, tender... Anaïs Nin has long fascinated me as a person but this is my first time engaging properly with her work. It is both brash and enigmatic, and I feel lured by the siren call of her other works so that I might better understand her while also feeling repulsed and exhausted by the confronting aspects of these stories. All in all, a reading experience I cannot define (or give a star rating lol) and won't soon forget.
Just not for me.
I love controversial topic, I read books with tons of TW. But this is just stories of exploitation.
There's no back story whatsoever on the characters.
I love controversial topic, I read books with tons of TW. But this is just stories of exploitation.
There's no back story whatsoever on the characters.
Not bad for what it is, and kind of more of a historical document in the sense of "it was probably quite racy at the time it came out" and in the context of who wrote it, why, and who they knew. As an actual collection it's very repetitive.
guys i tried reading some of the shorter stories in this book and i felt ill idgaf about “pushing the boundaries” i am uncomfortable!!! someone wrote a review about how the extreme stories in this book reflect how the consumption of sexual content leads people to desensitization which then leads to extremes and like i get that i get that perspective of not necessarily reading this book as erotica/smut but rather a critique of the commodification of sex and it’s impact on human interaction but oh my god EEEEEEEP i feel unwell
dark
reflective
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Sexual harassment
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Reading this again, with an eye for purple prose, motifs, parallels and common elements was a much more pleasant experience. It was a pioneer work and as such it needn't be perfect, or good, but it is striking and complex, and if one claims otherwise, I question their reasoning. The cultural impact it had is also remarkable.